The link between social care deficiencies and healthcare pressures

Abstract

In the UK, demand on the social care sector is rising, while a substantial reduction in funding makes meeting those demands a challenge. Exploring potential solutions to address the growing demands on health and social care, this commentary provides a critical evaluation of a systematic review that investigated the association between the availability and supply of social care services and the use of healthcare services among older adults in high-income countries. The commentary used the Rapid Conversion of Evidence Summaries methodology to critically appraise the study. There is some evidence for the benefits of care home support during hospital discharge, although research in the area is scarce. Increasing the supply of social care services may ease the pressures on the healthcare system, but the findings of this systematic review do not provide quantifiable evidence to support this. Nevertheless, it highlights the need for further investigation regarding the association between social care provision and healthcare service use.